by K. Langston
I spit in his face.
“I hate you,” I seethe, my body tense with ire and flowing with adrenaline.
Grinning, Carlito pulls a handkerchief from inside of his coat pocket to wipe the saliva from his face. Lightning cracks in the sky behind him, illuminating the stables off in the distance.
“You have her fight you know; she was such a resilient creature.” He leans in close, his whiskey-tinged breath infiltrating my nose. “That’s why I had to break her.”
Bile rises in my throat as I raise my hand to slap him but he grabs hold of my wrist, twisting and squeezing hard enough to bring me to my knees. Lowering his mouth to my ear, he turns my chin toward the end of the porch. My heart breaks in two. Teddy is hogtied, unconscious, blood trickling from the side of his face.
Carlito’s grip tightens on my chin, his fingers digging into my skin. “Unless you want me to put a bullet in his head, you’ll do exactly as I say, understand?”
I nod, willing to do whatever I have to in order to keep him safe.
Unease plagues me, something tugging at my gut that I can’t put my finger on. At first I chalk it up to the storm, they’ve always made me uneasy. A lot can happen, things you need to be prepared for, especially on a ranch as big as this one. So I shove it aside, that’s until I notice Dino.
Ever since we got here he’s been acting weird, as if he’s feeling the same uncertainty as me. He’s constantly looking over his shoulder, shifting on his feet.
When his eyes meet mine, I finally call him out, “Everything all right?”
“Fine, why?”
I shrug. “You seem on edge.”
“Who isn’t?” His eyes shift away, avoiding my hard stare. It puts me even more on alert.
Once we secure the generator on the back of the truck, Asher claps me on the shoulder. “Ready?”
Nodding, I walk back over to Jack Daniel’s stall to check on Pop. “We’re heading back up.”
“I’m gonna stay with Jack,” he says, brushing a hand over his neck. “I don’t want to leave him alone.”
“Why don’t I head back up to the house for some coffee?” Dino suggests. “I think it might be a long night.”
Pop nods. “Appreciate that.”
“Come on, you can ride with us and bring the truck back,” I tell him.
“Thanks.” He hops in the backseat while I climb in the driver’s side.
On the drive back, my eyes move from the windshield to the rearview mirror, barely making out Dino’s dark silhouette. The closer we get to the house, I notice some movement on the porch. Slowing down, I flash my bright lights to see what the hell it is and what I discover has my heart crushing against my chest.
“Son of a bitch!” I slam on the brakes, ready to flee the truck only to feel the cold barrel of a gun at the back of my neck.
“Not one move,” Dino’s dark voice fills the truck.
Asher twists in his seat, his body stiffening. “What the fuck are you doing?” he asks Dino.
“No questions. Drive, Justin, or I’ll put a bullet in your head.”
Asher looks back at me, like the bastard has lost his damn mind. He has if he thinks he’s going to get away with this.
I inch the vehicle closer to the house. Seconds later, Dino lifts a cell phone to his ear. “We’re coming in. I have both of them. The old man is down at the stable. Once we take care of these two, I’ll deal with him.”
The cold slap of betrayal freezes my blood as we round the front of the house, a familiar SUV comes into view and my fucking heart sinks in a stone of dread.
“You bastard,” I grit, fury tightening my gut. “We trusted you. After everything my family has given to you. How could you betray us like this?”
“Money is one hell of a motivator,” he says. “More than I ever made in the years I’ve spent busting my ass here.”
I shake my head in disbelief, unsure how the hell any of us missed this side of him.
Once I have the truck in park, Dino climbs out and opens the passenger door the same time the garage door opens and two men come out carrying AKs.
“Get out,” Dino orders.
I stare back at him, jaw tight as I figure out how I’m going to get us the fuck out of this.
“Now,” he bellows.
Hands raised high, I comply with his order.
“You too,” Dino says, shifting his gaze to Asher.
Asher opens the door, but refrains from holding up his hands. The fury radiating from him matches the rage thrashing through my veins. The two assholes keep their guns trained on him as we climb the stairs leading into the house.
Asher sends me a pointed look, our minds scrambling with what to do next. We make our way inside, through the mudroom and kitchen, stopping in the living room.
It’s then my worst fear comes to light. Selena is down on her knees, tears staining her cheeks while Carlito’s hand is gripped tightly in her hair. Teddy lies on the floor facedown, bloody and beaten, arms and legs secured behind his back.
“Ah, nice of you to join us,” the bastard says in a way of greeting.
My fists clench in the air, the urge to end him burning in my blood. “I’m going to fucking kill you for this.”
A malicious smirk taints his lips. Releasing Selena, he steps forward, sending a blow to my face. My head cracks to the side, my ears ringing but it’s overshadowed by the cry Selena lets out.
“Stop! Don’t hurt him!”
“I should kill you for soiling her,” he spits. “She was supposed to be sold as a virgin. Now I will have to accept a lesser price.”
I bring my gaze back to him, licking the blood from my lip. “It’s never going to happen. The only way she’s leaving here is over my dead body.”
The information only seems to amuse him. “That can be arranged.”
The sound of Selena’s cries shreds my insides. “No, please. Don’t. I’ll do anything, just don’t hurt him.”
Carlito looks over at her. “You would give up your life for this pig?”
“Yes, I’ll do anything. Please,” she pleads.
“Not going to happen. Sorry, but he is going to pay.” He turns back to us, addressing his men. “Tie them up then burn the place down. Dino,” he adds, nodding in his direction, “go take care of the old man.”
“Yes, sir.” Dino walks out the door, leaving us one man down. Asher and I share a look, a silent exchange of words.
It’s now or never.
Carlito walks toward Selena as the men reach for us, but they don’t anticipate our attack. My elbow meets his nose, blood sputtering as I rip the gun from his hands, slamming the butt of it into his temple.
He falls to the floor at my feet.
By the time I turn around, Asher is securing his captor on the ground with the binds that were meant for us.
I swing the gun toward Carlito and find him reaching for Selena.
With the room dark, I can’t be sure of my shot. My feet propel forward, rage surging through my veins. My body crashes into his, sending us through the large living room window, glass shattering all around us as we roll on the front porch.
We don’t grapple for long before I have him on his back. Rage darkens my vision and my mind goes completely blank with the exception of one word.
Death.
My fingers curl around his throat with vengeance, an inch away from shattering his windpipe. “Nobody fucks with what’s mine.”
I catch movement out of the corner of my eye and find a sharp piece of glass tight in his grip, coming toward my face. I grab his wrist before he can make contact and turn it toward him, driving it deep into his throat, relishing in the justice that’s been served not only for Selena but her mother.
Selena’s soft cries penetrate the blood rushing in my ears and sends me crashing back into myself. Standing up, I move toward her, gathering her trembling body in my arms. “Shh…it’s okay, baby, you’re safe now. It’s over.”
Her hands fist the sides of my shirt
, hanging on for dear life as she buries her head in my chest. “I thought I lost you.”
“Never.”
Asher lifts Teddy to sit on the couch, Carlito’s men slumped against the wall, unconscious. Selena leaves my arms and rushes to Teddy’s side.
“Ash, Pop!” I say, my blood running cold as I remember Dino and know we have to move fast.
“What, boy?”
I spin around to find Pop standing in the open doorway, a spot of blood on his shirt as he holds a rifle, the same rifle that was pressed against my head.
“The son of a bitch tried to shoot me,” he says, chest heaving with exertion.
I breathe out a sigh of relief, a small chuckle leaving me, grateful to hear his rough, boisterous voice.
Pop moves toward both Asher and me, pulling us into a hug. “You boys okay?”
“Yeah, Pop. We’re okay.”
Closing my eyes, I silently thank God that they’re still here.
That she’s still here.
The foundation I want to build my life on.
My reason.
My everything.
Four months later
Walking through the door, I catch the smell of dinner cooking. I stop and unclip my duty belt to hang on my gear stand but I don’t get much farther than that before she’s in my arms.
Sometimes I have to pinch myself and ask if this is my life. I get to wake up to her every morning and come home to her every night. And she’s always right here waiting for me when I get home.
“How was your day?” she asks, leaning back to look into my eyes.
“It was long.” I lean down to kiss her again. “Too damn long. How was yours?”
“It was good. I finished two more projects. The crosses I made this morning turned out really nice. Then I went up to the main house to tend to Pop and Teddy.” She perches a small hand on her hip, that sass I know and love shining through. “They are too much sometimes. Like an old married couple the way they fuss and argue.” She shakes her head, exasperated.
“Oh, and we got an invite in the mail today. Ryker and Mary Ann are getting married.”
Reaching for that perched hand, I pull her closer. That’s been weighing heavy on my mind lately. Pop gave me Gram’s ring two months ago but I haven’t found the right time to ask her to marry me. Even though I am a million percent sure she’s the only one for me, I don’t want to rush her or her feel pressured to say yes. It took a while but things calmed down after everything became public. The incident made international news, being that the AG of Mexico was in bed with some of the United States’ most prominent politicians in a trafficking ring that stretched around the world. The feds were able to keep Selena’s identity a secret along with most of the details of what happened.
“Married, huh? When?”
“July seventh,” she says.
“I can’t wait to take you home so you can meet the rest of my family.”
She’s already met Mom and Dad when they flew down the very next day. They’d flown in after they heard about what happened. My mother fell in love with her right away. Which is no surprise. I knew she would. It’s hard for anyone to meet her and not like her.
“I always knew you’d find a nice girl. A wholesome girl,” my mother had said.
She’s wholesome all right.
Innocent and sweet.
And all fucking mine.
“That all that happened today?”
Selena smiles.
“What?” I ask, tilting my head.
Her hand moves to her swollen stomach. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen and who would have thought that her carrying my baby would be so damn sexy. “Baby C moved today.”
Both of my hands move to the sides of her belly. I bend down and kiss the tiny bump.
My lips linger for several seconds before I move to her mouth, kissing her long and deep, collecting several breathy moans before I finally turn her loose.
“Justin,” she breathes.
I bury my face in her neck, her head falling back as I kiss up the slender column. “Hmm?”
Pulling my shirt loose from my pants, her hands find the skin of my back. “I need you.”
I love her confidence. The way she looks at me with those loving eyes and owns me with it. She’s coming more into herself and who she is, and I like to think I have a hand in that.
I worried about her a lot after everything happened. I hated it when I had to return to work, and I called several times a day for at least the first month, but she’s tough. She knows how to take care of herself. Pop insisted on teaching her to shoot and Teddy, too. Not sure how I feel about his blind ass shooting a gun but Pop knows what he’s doing.
I hope.
Reaching for the back of her legs, I pick her up to wrap them around my waist then carry her over to the couch. I can feel the heat between her legs rubbing against my uniform pants.
She pulls back, bringing her arm between us to rub a finger across my badge. “Some heroes wear a cape. Some wear a badge.”
“I’m nobody’s hero, baby.”
“You’re my hero. You’re someone’s hero every time you put on this uniform.”
“Just doing my job. Protect and serve,” I say, moving her hips to rock back and forth against me.
Her giggle floods my mouth as I seize her lips. Her hands move between us, bypassing my belt and unzipping my pants to take me inside of her. She’s not even wearing underwear, my girl is wet and ready for her man. When she’s fully seated, I rest my head on the back of the couch, bathing in her sweet heat. She lifts her dress over her head, tossing it to the floor. Her hands move to my shirt as she continues to bounce. Ever since she got pregnant, she’s insatiable and far from shy about what she wants.
Her heavy tits beckon my mouth.
“Pinch your nipples,” I order, and she gasps, taking her nipples between her thumbs and forefingers while continuing to bounce up and down slowly on my lap.
My hands move to her hips as she leans forward, offering one to my mouth. Her hands move to brace the back of the couch, using it for leverage, fucking me while I feast on her supple tits. Digging my fingers into her skin, I encourage her to move faster, loving the way her tight pussy wraps perfectly around me. She’s never looked more beautiful than she does in this moment, my baby growing in her belly, offering every piece of herself to me.
I will never get enough of her. Never get my fill. With her I want it all. Marriage. A family. Forever.
With her, I want everything.
Releasing her nipple from my mouth, I bring my hand to her neck and pull her down to my lips, kissing her long and hard.
Deep enough to lick the corners of her soul.
“Do you know how much I love you?”
“I love you too, Justin. So much.”
“You’re my whole world, baby. You always will be.” Wrapping my hands around her back, I maneuver her beneath me and drive into her harder as she cries out my name.
“Yours,” she whispers, knowing exactly what I want to hear. I know she’s mine and she always will be but hearing her say it while I’m inside of her, there is no better feeling.
“That’s right, all mine. Today, tomorrow, and every day after.”
“Today, tomorrow, and every day after,” she says before she comes, clenching tightly around me. I follow her with my own release, peppering her face with kisses before claiming her lips with my own. A silent vow to cherish and love her every single day for the rest of my life.
“You look beautiful,” April says.
I gaze back at her over my shoulder in the three-way mirror.
“I love it.” I rub my protruding bump, knowing Justin will love it, too. He loves anything that shows off my growing belly or accentuates my breasts.
“So when do y’all leave again?” April asks.
“Next Thursday.”
“You nervous?” Lindsey asks from the corner chair.
“A little. But after meeting his mom and da
d, I know that I will love them all.”
“We’ve met his brothers. You’ll love them.”
“Yeah, that Benson is hot as fuck, girl. If I wasn’t married, I wouldn’t mind being tied to his bedpost.”
“Lindsey!”
“What? I’m just being honest.”
“Well sometimes you’re too honest. Besides, Larson would throw a fit if he knew you were fantasizing about another man, let alone one of Justin’s brothers.”
“For your information, he knows, thank you very much. He’s asked me to confess my darkest fantasies in great detail. He doesn’t care if it involves him or another man, the shit turns him on.”
April shakes her head. “Y’all are so twisted.”
Lindz lifts one shoulder. “He knows who my body belongs to, that’s all that matters.”
I couldn’t ask for better friends. After everything happened, Lindsey and April were right there for me. Justin hated having to return to work. He worried about me constantly, but Lindsey and April came to visit me nearly every day for a month. And have even dragged me out of the house a few times as well, against Justin’s wishes, of course. I think if he had it his way, I’d never leave his side, but he knows how important my independence is to me. Although, I must confess, I do love his possessiveness. He never lets me forget whom I belong to or where I belong, and for the first time in my life, I have a sense of self.
I have Justin to thank for that.
“Oh, I forgot to ask, how’s your booth doing at the market?”
“Really good actually. I nearly sold out last week. I’ve been working like crazy to catch up. I can’t keep up with the demand. I’m still blown away that anyone would want to buy my work.”
“Your creations are beautiful. Have you ever thought about opening your own store?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. With a baby on the way I want to devote all of my time to being a mother. That is what is most important to me.”
“Well, it might be something to consider later, when the baby is older.”
“Perhaps.”
Justin is the one who encouraged me to sell my pottery in the first place. I was reluctant when he’d first mentioned it. I didn’t think anyone would pay money for my work, but I’d been wrong. Now I make my own money and I am able to contribute and help provide for our family.